Tired of car badge theft? Here's a bloody good hack to keep criminals at bay

• Volkswagen badges are commonly stolen from Polo models. 
  
• The plastic badge can be purchased at dealerships or aftermarket stores. 
  
• A frustrated Twitter user shows how razor blades can keep thieves at bay. 

Car badge theft is nothing new, but there's not much you can do about it either. However, one Twitter user has come up with a solution that could prove painful to thieves.

In South Africa, thieves mostly target the Volkswagen Polo simply because there are so many of them on the road. These badges are most commonly found affixed to a high school child's bag or sold for a profit to an unsuspecting buyer. Speaking to a VW dealership in the area, they say there's not much owners can do to protect their badge from being stolen, or any other component for that matter. 

"The best you can do is to park your car inside your property or garage and not leave it parked outside when it's late or dark," says a salesman. 

An aftermarket badge can be purchased for around R150, while one at a dealership can set you back as much as R850. Searching for one at a scrap yard is another option. But what if you don't have a choice but to park your car outside or in a semi-safe environment?

A Twitter user posted a somewhat genius plan to protect (primarily the Polo's) front badge from being stolen and get some revenge on the thieves in the process. The plan does not involve using gut, rope or even glue to keep the badge fastened to the grille as many have tried – including me when the badge was stolen on our Polo Vivo – but something a bit sharper. 

Twist, turn, bleed 

The plan involves using a couple of Minora razor blades placed on specific points behind the badge where the thieves usually grip and twist to free it from the grille. Picture the scenario where a thief tries to do so, completely unaware of the razors placed there, so when they try to twist and loosen the badge, their fingertips will come off the worst. 

EXPLAINER | This former thief shares why stealing VW Polo badges is a lucrative 'business' 

Unfortunately, South Africans must come up with their own solutions to problems where their cars are concerned. Badge theft is a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time and is not a calculated move. Thieves don't care and will destroy whatever they need (bonnet, front grille) to free just the badge, rendering the Minora tactic useless. 

A missing front badge really taints the looks of a car, and some owners don't even bother replacing it because it might be stolen again. With the price of everything going up, people can ill afford to spend more money than they have to, so desperate times call for desperate measures and creativity to protect what is yours. 

Other than badges, numerous social media posts show higher-specced models like the GTI or R-Line in Gauteng with their headlights promptly removed. News24 Motoring reported on this vehicle crime earlier in 2021. We can only assume that those parts get sold off at a significantly discounted price to an innocent and unsuspecting buyer. 

One other solution is to park your car's front section as close to a wall as possible, giving zero access to the badge, bonnet and headlights. 

A good few cuts on fingers might not completely prevent badge theft, but it is a good attempt at deterring criminals. It will make thieves second guess their next move because it could be painful.